I love playgrounds, and I love hanging around playgrounds when there are kids there having fun. Having been an independent playground builder for over thirty years has given me first hand knowledge of playground equipment and playground surfacing.

Two main elements are the primary factors that have determined how playgrounds look and perform: concept and technology. Over the past century we have seen the concept of what a playground is evolve continuously from basic fitness apparatus to expressions of civic identity. An often overlooked...read more...

Inclusion occurs when children with disabilities unconditionally participate in regular recreation opportunities in their own community. In terms of playgrounds this means that a family who is raising a child with disabilities should be able to go to the park where the neighborhood children are...read more...

Have you ever driven by a beautiful new playground and thought “That looks really good. I wonder who made the equipment, and who supplied the surfacing?” It’s easy to forget that the second part of the question, “Who supplied the surfacing?” would, not so long ago, probably have sounded silly. That...read more...

Well, we’ve done it again. Another successful and fun Fire and Ice Festival at the Anarchy Zone and Ithaca Children’s Garden. That’s right: we need play in winter just as much as summer (maybe more - winters in upstate NY are long and cold!)

The discovery that we can get ourselves to play (or playfulness, or find some way to have something like fun with it all) – almost whenever we want, almost with whatever we feel like playing – is profound and empowering.

Over the past few weeks a series of comments and questions related to the CPSI examination process have surfaced on one of the National Recreation and Park Association’s (NRPA) social/professional networks appropriately named, NRPA Connect. As I reviewed the questions and comments, the primary concern or issue is the requirement to re-certify by...